# Savard-A Houses Source Packet Status: research packet only, not admitted Purpose: - collect the currently available modern source chain for the house system now labeled `Savard-A` - separate source-backed geometric claims from naming/provenance uncertainty - decide whether the system is ready for a formal admission doctrine ## Scope This note does not admit `Savard-A` into Moira. It records what can currently be established from accessible modern sources: - external software documentation - Astrodienst / Swiss Ephemeris public-facing materials - Astrolog documentation and change log - provenance notes about the renaming away from `Albategnius` ## Modern Source Packet ### 1. Astrolog 7.30 change log Source: - https://www.astrolog.org/ftp/updat730.htm Relevant modern claim: - Astrolog added `Savard-A houses` - the system is named after `John Savard` - it uses Savard's description of what he called `Albategnus` houses - the label was changed because later research concluded that Albategnius did not describe this particular house system Implication: - this is a modern software-era naming settlement, not a clean classical transmission ### 2. Astrolog 7.80 documentation Source: - https://www.astrolog.org/ftp/astrolog.htm Relevant modern claim: - `Savard-A` is treated as a distinct selectable house system - Astrolog lists it separately from: - Campanus - Horizon - APC - Carter - Sunshine - Pullen SD / SR Extracted geometric summary from the Astrolog docs: - it divides the prime vertical like Campanus - but instead of direct prime-vertical trisection, it uses parallels of declination at one-third / 30 degree intervals Implication: - the modern software ecosystem treats `Savard-A` as a real distinct system, not merely an alias ### 3. Astrodienst forum archive on naming Source: - https://www.astro.com/forarch/pdf/1626054202.pdf Relevant modern claims: - Astrodienst users asked what `Savard-A` means - the response states that `Savard-A` uses John Savard's description of what he called `Albategnius` houses - `Savard-A` naming came out of a Swiss Ephemeris mailing-list discussion - the renaming away from `Albategnius` was deliberate because historical research did not support the old attribution Implication: - provenance honesty requires treating `Savard-A` as a modern reconstructed or software-transmitted doctrine, not as a securely classical Albategnius method ### 4. Swiss Ephemeris tables of houses Sources: - https://www.astro.com/swisseph/ae/hts_J_e.pdf - https://www.astro.com/swisseph/ae/hcs_J_e.pdf - https://www.astro.com/swisseph/ae/htn_J_e.pdf - https://www.astro.com/swisseph/ae/hcn_J_e.pdf Relevant modern claims: - Swiss publishes operational tables for `System Savard-A` - tables are provided for northern and southern hemispheres - tables explicitly include polar latitudes Implication: - `Savard-A` is not just an experimental side label; it is operationalized in major software - however, tables alone are not a governing derivation ### 5. John Savard original exposition recovered Direct source: - http://www.quadibloc.com/other/as01.htm Recovered findings: - the page is titled `Astrological House Systems` - it is a survey-style exposition by John J. G. Savard - it includes a dedicated section labeled `Albategnus` - Savard describes the system as: - using parallels of declination - dividing the prime vertical into parts by thirds of the declination difference between the east/west points and the zenith - then using great circles from the north point to the south point to divide the sky and intersect the ecliptic Critical limitation: - Savard's wording is brief and partially hedged - his text includes an `apparently` qualifier in the projection description - the page is explanatory and comparative, not a formal mathematical doctrine note Implication: - this is better than software-only summaries because it gives us the original Savard-side geometric intent directly - however, it still does not supply a precise enough derivation to admit the system cleanly without further reconstruction work ## Provisional Governing Geometry What the current packet now supports: 1. `Savard-A` belongs to the broad prime-vertical / horizon-projection family. 2. It is Campanus-like in family resemblance, but not identical to Campanus. 3. The distinguishing law appears to be: - use declination-parallel structure rather than direct Campanus equal segmentation of the prime vertical - divide the declination difference from east/west to zenith in thirds - use horizon-anchored great circles through those derived points to obtain cusp intersections on the ecliptic What the packet does not yet support strongly enough: - a precise Moira-owned object formulation with exact branch doctrine - a trustworthy historical claim connecting the system to Albategnius - an unambiguous mathematical construction sequence free of interpretive gaps ## Provenance and Naming Findings These points are now source-backed enough to treat as settled: - `Savard-A` is the modern honest label. - `Albategnius` is not a trustworthy canonical name for this system. - Any Moira admission must preserve that honesty and must not present the method as a securely medieval Albategnius doctrine unless stronger evidence appears. ## Admission Gate Assessment ### What is strong enough - distinct modern system identity - modern operational support in Astrolog and Swiss/Astrodienst - enough geometric separation from Campanus to justify further study - direct recovery of Savard's own comparative exposition page ### What is not strong enough yet - explicit governing equations or construction sequence from source - stable branch/singularity doctrine - independent validation source beyond software summaries and tables ## Swiss-Smell Risk This candidate is high-risk for lineage leakage if implemented too early. Why: - the available packet is software-mediated - the modern naming itself arose from software-forum correction - absent a direct source text, the implementation could easily collapse into "whatever Swiss/Astrolog do for Savard-A" Therefore: - numerical replication of external tables would not be enough - a Moira implementation would need a fresh governing-object derivation note before code ## Current Decision `Savard-A` is a plausible future admission candidate, but not yet ready for implementation. Required before admission: 1. restate the recovered Savard geometry in exact Moira terms 2. resolve the ambiguities left by Savard's terse comparative wording 3. declare polar and branch doctrine explicitly 4. only then draft a formal admission doctrine ## Sources - Astrolog 7.30 change log: - https://www.astrolog.org/ftp/updat730.htm - Astrolog documentation: - https://www.astrolog.org/ftp/astrolog.htm - Astrodienst forum archive on `Savard-A` naming: - https://www.astro.com/forarch/pdf/1626054202.pdf - John Savard original exposition: - http://www.quadibloc.com/other/as01.htm - Swiss Ephemeris Savard-A tables: - https://www.astro.com/swisseph/ae/hts_J_e.pdf - https://www.astro.com/swisseph/ae/hcs_J_e.pdf - https://www.astro.com/swisseph/ae/htn_J_e.pdf - https://www.astro.com/swisseph/ae/hcn_J_e.pdf